3 Simple Ways to Be More Self-Aware as an Entrepreneur It turns out there are two types of self-awareness. Here's how entrepreneurs can build both (and a more profitable business).
By Aytekin Tank Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
With the economy sailing toward rough waters, entrepreneurs and employees alike are bracing for tough times.
Some are claiming we're entering an era of "bossism" — a shift in leverage from employees to managers, enabling the latter to get away with some pretty ruthless behavior. But, as a business owner with more than 619 employees worldwide, I think that it's more crucial than ever for leaders to act with empathy and maintain a sense of self-awareness. After all, research has found that self-aware leaders are more effective and have more satisfied employees and more profitable companies.
For entrepreneurs, it's worth considering how to cultivate self-awareness. But first, a closer look at the two types of self-awareness and the benefits that flow from each.
Internal versus external
You might think that self-awareness is as simple as the ancient Greek saying, "Know thyself." But according to experts, there's more to it.
Organizational psychologist and author Tasha Eurich and her colleagues conducted large-scale research on self-awareness and identified two distinct varieties: internal and external.
Internal self-awareness is understanding ourselves: our personal values, passions, aspirations, our impact on others and so on. It's associated with higher job and relationship satisfaction, personal and social control and happiness. On the other hand, external self-awareness means understanding how others view us. Employees with self-aware leaders have stronger relationships with them and are more satisfied in general.
In short, a more holistic self-awareness means both knowing thyself and understanding how others view thyself. And, as it turns out, true self-awareness is surprisingly rare. Eurich and her colleagues found that only 10% to 15% of the people they studied fit the criteria for self-aware. In another survey of working adults across several industries in the U.S., 99% of respondents reported working with at least one un-self-aware person. Nearly half worked with at least four.
When the economy is uncertain and times are stressful, it may seem superfluous to focus on something like self-awareness. But I think it's a small investment that leads to big, long-term results. Here are some techniques that I use in my day-to-day at Jotform to help maintain a sense of self-awareness.
Related: 7 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Master Self-Awareness
How to be more self-aware
1. Be more objective in your introspection
One thing I've learned as an entrepreneur: In any company, no matter how collegial the environment, there's bound to be friction. (In fact, I've written before about the benefits of healthy conflict.) But let's say you have a disagreement with a colleague that leaves you reeling afterward. Wanting to be self-aware, you ask yourself why your colleague treated you the way they did; why an everyday disagreement erupted.
According to Eurich's research, that's not the right way to go about it. In fact, though it might seem like introspection is the key to self-awareness, oftentimes it's the opposite.
Eurich writes, "The problem with introspection isn't that it is categorically ineffective — it's that most people are doing it incorrectly."
To practice the kind of introspection that cultivates self-awareness, ask yourself "what," rather than "why." The answers to the "why" questions are colored by our subjective feelings. "What" questions, on the other hand, "help us stay objective, future-focused and empowered to act on our new insights."
So, back to that conflict with your colleague. Questions like "What did they ask of me?" "What was my reaction?" and "What could I have done differently?" will lead to a deeper sense of internal and external self-awareness.
Related: Why a Self-Aware Leader Is a Good Leader
2. Solicit anonymous feedback
One of the most important assets for becoming a more self-aware leader is honest feedback. This is especially true for the external variety of self-knowledge.
The problem is most leaders rarely receive candid reports for one of two reasons. Either they're openly hostile to criticism, or, in a more common circumstance, they don't genuinely encourage it. Fearing consequences, employees are reluctant to come forward and offer their insight.
To motivate employees to share honest feedback, leaders can create various channels (forms, email questionnaires, even an old-school comment box), and, importantly, make it anonymous.
Executive coach Janice Gair explains, "While some team members might still feel apprehensive about being honest, our clients have shown us again and again that senior leadership responds best when they receive feedback related to their performance on an anonymous basis."
Anonymity is both more secure for employees and more effective for leaders.
Related: 12 Self-Awareness Exercises That Fuel Success
3. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness might sound like a buzzword, but as it turns out, it can be a powerful tool in the office as well.
A mindfulness practice can help you to identify your mental state, thoughts, physiological responses, as well as your feelings and emotions. And it can help you get to build internal self-awareness.
You might be wondering: What kind of mindfulness practice can I use at the office (or home office)?
You can try morning pages, a term first coined by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way. First thing in the morning, before your brain is inevitably swirling with the day's tasks, sit down and write three, stream-of-consciousness pages.
Cameron notes, "Pages are meant to be, simply, the act of moving the hand across the page and writing down whatever comes to mind. Nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid or too weird to be included. The morning pages are not supposed to sound smart — although sometimes they might."
I do morning pages every day, and though I've slightly altered the method (I type), they've helped me tremendously to start each morning with clarity — to understand how I'm feeling; to identify if something is bothering me; to reiterate my daily, weekly and long-term goals. Sometimes they're mostly nonsense. Sometimes they lead to ideas that pop up later in the day. Regardless, it's a mindfulness practice I couldn't have grown my business without.
You might prefer journaling at the end of the day, a daily dose of a meditation app like Headspace or even just a few deep, quiet breaths when the workday gets stressful. It takes some commitment, but as long as you're willing to dedicate a few moments to regularly check in with yourself and to understand what's going on inside your brain, you'll be one step closer to self-awareness. Your employees will be happier and your company will be stronger for it.
